Driving on the freeway, battling traffic, the mind often chews on matters of absolutely zero consequence. I, myself, had one the other day that I pondered for a grand total of thirty minutes: “Does John John enjoy being called John John, or does he prefer just John?” You see, plenty of surfers have nicknames from childhood they’ve been unable to shake. There’s Josh “Kerrzy” Kerr, Adrian “Ace” Buchan, etc. John John, however, is the only athlete whose nickname appears as his actual name on the WSL roster. John’s given name is John Alexander Florence.
I seem to remember a time a while back, too, where JJF attempted to drop the second John from his name. “It’s just John, now,” I imagine him saying to old friends. That change never took.
Anyway, here’s an impressive little highlight reel of the reigning world champ from his winter on the North Shore aptly titled “My name is John.” Whether that title is a hint or a coincidence is uncertain. But John John is so much catchier than just John, right?
